# A birdwatching weekend in Monfragüe, three hours from Madrid

You leave Madrid on Friday afternoon and sleep inside the park. Saturday for routes and viewpoints, Sunday in a guided 4x4 looking for the Spanish imperial eagle.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/extremadura/monfrague/itineraries/monfrague-birdwatching-weekend-from-madrid

Dónde: Monfragüe National Park

Monfragüe is the national park of raptors and one of the best places in Europe to see black vultures, Spanish imperial eagles and black storks without being an expert. From Madrid it is about three hours on the A-5, so it makes a weekend from Friday to Sunday. The key is to sleep inside, in Villarreal de San Carlos, the only village in the park: you set off on foot at dawn, when there are most birds and fewest cars, and at night you hear the dehesa.

## How do you get there from Madrid?

Take the A-5 towards Badajoz and, past Navalmoral de la Mata, towards Toril and the La Bazagona road, which enters the park by the Portilla del Tiétar; or carry on to Plasencia and come down the EX-208. Allow about three hours without stops. There is no public transport to Villarreal: you need a car. From Cáceres the park is a little over an hour away, and from Salamanca or Mérida about two.

## Where to sleep?

AccommodationAreaFor whom

Casa Rural MonfragüeVillarreal, inside the parkCouples or families who want to set out on foot, from €70 with breakfast

Casa Rural El CabrerínVillarreal, inside the parkA group or two families, whole house for eight, €280

Hospedería Parque de MonfragüeTorrejón el RubioFour-star hotel with a restaurant, from about €75

Camping y Bungalows MonfragüePlasencia roadTent, motorhome or bungalow from €50 to €90

## What if it's spring?

From March to June the park organises free bird walks and outings with its educators, three to four hours, at the Tajadilla, the Salto del Gitano and the Portilla del Tiétar. Places are booked from the last Friday of the previous month at the Central de Reservas or on 927 199 134. If you get a place on Saturday morning, swap the red route for one of these outings.

## With children

The viewpoints, next to the car, and the castle tower work at any age. Swap the red route for the yellow one to the Tajadilla or the green one to Cerro Gimio, easy and under 9 km. On the 4x4 route, under-12s pay €35 and bring their own seat or booster. In July and August, the boat from Serradilla, an hour and a half, is the best card for the little ones.

## El plan

### Friday · 19:30 · Arrival in Villarreal de San Carlos
Leave the car beside the country house. If you arrive in daylight, walk to the start of the green route, along the Malvecino stream. Dinner at the Restaurante Monfragüe, on the village street: kid stew or braised venison.

### Saturday · 08:00 · Red route to the castle
You set off on foot from the village: down to the Tagus by the Puente del Cardenal, past the Fuente del Francés and up to the Salto del Gitano and the castle. It is 16 km and about five hours with stops. Carry food and water, as there is nothing on the way.

### Saturday · 11:30 · Salto del Gitano and the castle tower
Mid-morning, the vultures of Peña Falcón begin to soar. At the castle, climb the 134 steps of the tower. If you don't want to walk the 16 km, do this part by car and walk only from the Salto to the castle.

### Saturday · 17:00 · La Tajadilla and the Portilla del Tiétar
By car along the Saltos de Torrejón road: the Tajadilla viewpoint, La Báscula and the Portilla, where the Tiétar passes between two rock walls. Stay to watch the stars: it is an astrotourism viewpoint.

### Sunday · 09:30 · Guided 4x4 route
Four hours with Monfragüe Vivo on tracks and dehesas closed to traffic, with a telescope and binoculars. Shared, from €40; book beforehand. From 15 September to 15 October, swap it for the evening rutting-season viewing.

### Sunday · 14:00 · Lunch and the drive back
Eat at El Paraíso de los Sentidos, in Torrejón el Rubio, which is open daily, or on the way to Plasencia at the grill of Camping Monfragüe. You leave mid-afternoon and reach Madrid after dark.

## Un consejo más

Bring a pair of binoculars per person. In Monfragüe everything happens far off or up high, and waiting your turn with only one pair ruins the morning.

## Cuándo no ir

July and August for walking: at midday the sierra passes 35 °C and the routes have little shade and no reliable water.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Madrid to Monfragüe?
About three hours by car on the A-5, about 255 km to Villarreal de San Carlos.

### Can I sleep inside the park?
Yes, in the country houses of Villarreal de San Carlos. You can't camp or overnight in a motorhome inside.

### Do I need a guide to see birds?
No: from the viewpoints you see vultures almost always. With a guide you reach closed tracks and improve your chances of seeing the Spanish imperial eagle.

### How much does the weekend cost?
Two nights in a Villarreal double, €140 with breakfast; the 4x4 route, from €40 per person; plus meals and petrol.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hospedería Parque de Monfragüe**, desde 75 € / night: A design hotel in the dehesa
The Hospedería Parque de Monfragüe is one of the four-star hotels of the public Hospederías de Extremadura network. It is on the Plasencia to Trujillo road, in Torrejón el Rubio, at the gates of the National Park and about fifteen minutes from Salto del Gitano. The building is purpose-built, renovated in 2015, and inside it has furniture and pieces by Vostell, Mariscal, Le Corbusier and Moragas. It has held Starlight certification since 2017, and in the garden there is an astronomical viewpoint that is lit up at night to point out the visible stars.
The rooms
There are 60: 46 standard doubles, 2 adapted ones on the ground floor, 4 doubles with a sitting area, 4 superiors and 4 duplexes. Most have a balcony or terrace onto the dehesa. The duplexes, facing west, have two floors, with a 150 cm bed upstairs and a 135 cm fold-down one downstairs for two children up to 12: they are the best for families. All have air conditioning, heating, a safe and wifi. The website advertises it from €74.95 a night.
What it is worth knowing
The spa is out of service with no reopening date, and the pool is closed until the 2027 season. What remains are the gym, a padel court, the garden, the café with terrace and the restaurant El Paraíso de los Sentidos, which opens daily. It has getaway menus with dinner and offers for over-60s.
- **Casa Rural Monfragüe**, desde 70 € / night: Sleeping in Villarreal de San Carlos is sleeping inside Monfragüe National Park: it is the only village in it and the starting point for all its walking routes. The Casa Rural Monfragüe is a slate building on its only street, opposite the park's information office and interpretation centres. In the morning you set off on the trails on foot, without touching the car.
Six rooms named after birds
The six doubles are named after birds seen in Monfragüe: Collalba negra (black wheatear), Abejaruco (bee-eater), Rabilargo (azure-winged magpie), Golondrina dáurica (red-rumped swallow), Roquero solitario (blue rock thrush) and Oropéndola (golden oriole). All have a private bathroom, television, air conditioning and heating, and are cleaned every day. Four of them can fit an extra bed, and the house has cots for babies.
Seventy euros a double, four hundred and twenty the house
A double costs €70 a night and single occupancy €50, with breakfast and VAT included. An extra bed costs €28 for under-10s and €32 from that age. The whole house, with its twelve places, is rented for €420 a night, which is the option for a group of birdwatchers or a family gathering. From three nights there is a 10% discount, which does not apply on public holidays or long weekends. You book online from the Monfragüe Rural website, on 927 199 002, on the mobiles 669 367 403 and 620 247 987 or at info@monfraguerural.com.
A lounge with a fireplace and bird books
The common area is a spacious sitting room with a fireplace, television and free wifi. It has a nature and ornithology library with books in several languages and the National Park information folder, with routes and natural features to prepare the next day. If you come with a group for a course or a photography talk, they lend a projector at no cost.
Breakfast a few metres away, guides from the door
Breakfast is served at the Restaurante Monfragüe, run by the same family and a few metres from the house, at flexible times: agree the time the evening before if you want to set off early. From the house you can hire binoculars and electric bicycles, and book local nature and ornithology guides. For photographers, the house organises tailor-made outings with a guide who looks for the species and handles the necessary permits.
On foot and by car from Villarreal
On foot from the door you have the yellow trail to La Tajadilla, 8.9 km and easy, the green one to Cerro Gimio and the red trail to the castle, 16 km. The park's free guided walks, from March to June and in October, are booked at the visitor centre right opposite. By car, Salto del Gitano is about 5 km away on the EX-208.
You get here along the EX-208 from Plasencia or Trujillo. From Madrid, take the A-5 and the EX-A1 to exit 29 and the La Bazagona road, which ends at the EX-208 1.5 km from the village.
- **Casa Rural El Cabrerín**, desde 70 € / night: El Cabrerín is a renovated country house in Villarreal de San Carlos, the only village inside Monfragüe National Park. It has four double rooms and a dining room with a full kitchen, and it is rented in two ways: by the room, like a small guesthouse with breakfast, or whole for eight people. It belongs to Monfragüe Rural, the same family that runs the Casa Rural Monfragüe and the village restaurant.
El Chozo, La Morrala, La Cayá and La Majá
The four doubles have names of their own: El Chozo, La Morrala, La Cayá and La Majá. All have a private bathroom, television, air conditioning and heating, and are cleaned daily. The house's gallery shows the façade, the dining room and La Majá; if you want a particular room, ask for it when you book.
A whole house for two families
What sets El Cabrerín apart from the same owner's bigger house is the kitchen: the dining room has a full kitchen, so a group renting the whole house can cook its own dinners without depending on restaurant hours. The whole house costs €280 a night for eight people, with breakfast and VAT included. By the room, a double costs €70 and single occupancy €50. Monfragüe Rural's general rate puts extra beds at €28 for under-10s and €32 from that age; ask whether they fit in these rooms. From three nights there is a 10% discount, except on public holidays and long weekends.
Breakfast, at the family's restaurant
Breakfast is included and is served at the Restaurante Monfragüe, a few metres away, at flexible times. The same restaurant has an à la carte menu and a menu of the day for lunch, and a sales point for local products.
Binoculars, bikes and guides from the house
In the lounge there is a nature and ornithology library, with books in several languages, and the National Park information folder, with routes and what can be seen in each season. The house hires out binoculars and electric bicycles, organises routes with local nature and ornithology guides and, for photographers, tailor-made outings with a guide who handles any permits needed. If you come with a group for a course or a talk, they lend a projector free of charge.
What you have at the door
Opposite Monfragüe Rural's accommodation are the park's information office and interpretation centres, and all the park's walking routes start from Villarreal: the red trail to the castle, the green trail to Cerro Gimio and the yellow one to La Tajadilla all start on foot from the house. By car, Salto del Gitano is about 5 km away on the EX-208.
By the La Bazagona road or the EX-208
From Madrid, take the A-5 and the EX-A1 to exit 29, then the La Bazagona road and, on reaching the EX-208, turn left: Villarreal is 1.5 km away. From Cáceres or Salamanca, take the A-66 and the EX-A1 to exit 46, then the EX-208. From Trujillo or Plasencia, directly along the EX-208.
- **Monfragüe Campsite and Bungalows**, desde 18 € / pitch: Inside Monfragüe National Park you cannot camp or spend the night in a motorhome, so anyone who comes with a tent, caravan or van sleeps outside. Camping Monfragüe is on the EX-208 road from Plasencia to Trujillo, in the municipality of Malpartida de Plasencia, 9 km from Plasencia, 6 km from Malpartida and about ten minutes by car from the park. It was opened in 1998 by the Barrado family, from Malpartida, and is still a family business.
One hundred and fifty pitches among holm oaks
The campsite occupies a holm oak dehesa. It has 150 pitches of at least 90 m², all with an electricity point, and wide lanes designed for large caravans and long combinations. Those under the trees have holm oak shade; those in the more open areas have wooden and heather pergolas high enough for a motorhome. The washrooms are recently built, with free hot water 24 hours a day, individual enclosed basins and facilities for disabled people and for babies. There are washing-up sinks and a laundry.
Bungalows in two models
For those who do not bring their own roof there are bungalows of about 35 m² for four, in apartment format: one bedroom, a full bathroom with a bath and a living room-kitchen with a sofa bed for the other two places. Model 1 has two separate beds and its own porch; model 2, a double bed, and comes in rows of three that share a continuous porch of wood and tile. All have bed linen, kitchenware, television, microwave, fridge and air conditioning. The website advertises them at €50 to €90 a night depending on season, with the 2025 table still published: call to confirm the price for your dates.
2026 camping rates
The pitch, with the set-up and electricity, costs €18; people are extra: €4.80 per adult from age 11 and €4.20 from 3 to 10. The table also gives individual prices (car €4.20, caravan or tent €4.80, motorhome €8.80, electricity €5.50, motorbike €3). With the ACSI card, €21 for two people with set-up and electricity. For long stays, €500 a month for two adults with a vehicle and electricity, and €750 in August and Holy Week. If you only want to sleep one night in a motorhome, the overnight area, asphalted and next to the washrooms, costs €15 from 21:00 to 9:00, with no pitch or electricity but use of the facilities.
Pools, court and social lounge
There are two outdoor pools, an adults' one of 25 by 12 metres and a children's one of 12 by 6, with natural grass, shade from holm oaks and willows, changing rooms, a first-aid kit and a kiosk for drinks and ice cream; campers get in free. A multi-sport court serves for tennis, basketball or five-a-side football. The social lounge, air-conditioned and with a fireplace, has board games, wifi and a bar, and there is a games room for children, a playground, barbecues and fountains, a book-swap library and bicycle hire. The supermarket receives bread every morning.
For the park, a car
From here the park is done by car: Salto del Gitano and Villarreal de San Carlos are along the same EX-208 to the south. The campsite restaurant serves breakfasts and lunches every day except Wednesday, with wood-fired roasts, and one of the guided 4x4 outings may meet at Malpartida de Plasencia, 6 km away.
Reception morning and evening
Reception opens from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. You book on the website, on 927 459 233 or by WhatsApp on 605 940 878. The website does not say whether dogs are admitted or publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book.

## Dónde dormir if you're on foot
- **Casa Rural Monfragüe**, desde 70 € / night: Sleeping in Villarreal de San Carlos is sleeping inside Monfragüe National Park: it is the only village in it and the starting point for all its walking routes. The Casa Rural Monfragüe is a slate building on its only street, opposite the park's information office and interpretation centres. In the morning you set off on the trails on foot, without touching the car.
Six rooms named after birds
The six doubles are named after birds seen in Monfragüe: Collalba negra (black wheatear), Abejaruco (bee-eater), Rabilargo (azure-winged magpie), Golondrina dáurica (red-rumped swallow), Roquero solitario (blue rock thrush) and Oropéndola (golden oriole). All have a private bathroom, television, air conditioning and heating, and are cleaned every day. Four of them can fit an extra bed, and the house has cots for babies.
Seventy euros a double, four hundred and twenty the house
A double costs €70 a night and single occupancy €50, with breakfast and VAT included. An extra bed costs €28 for under-10s and €32 from that age. The whole house, with its twelve places, is rented for €420 a night, which is the option for a group of birdwatchers or a family gathering. From three nights there is a 10% discount, which does not apply on public holidays or long weekends. You book online from the Monfragüe Rural website, on 927 199 002, on the mobiles 669 367 403 and 620 247 987 or at info@monfraguerural.com.
A lounge with a fireplace and bird books
The common area is a spacious sitting room with a fireplace, television and free wifi. It has a nature and ornithology library with books in several languages and the National Park information folder, with routes and natural features to prepare the next day. If you come with a group for a course or a photography talk, they lend a projector at no cost.
Breakfast a few metres away, guides from the door
Breakfast is served at the Restaurante Monfragüe, run by the same family and a few metres from the house, at flexible times: agree the time the evening before if you want to set off early. From the house you can hire binoculars and electric bicycles, and book local nature and ornithology guides. For photographers, the house organises tailor-made outings with a guide who looks for the species and handles the necessary permits.
On foot and by car from Villarreal
On foot from the door you have the yellow trail to La Tajadilla, 8.9 km and easy, the green one to Cerro Gimio and the red trail to the castle, 16 km. The park's free guided walks, from March to June and in October, are booked at the visitor centre right opposite. By car, Salto del Gitano is about 5 km away on the EX-208.
You get here along the EX-208 from Plasencia or Trujillo. From Madrid, take the A-5 and the EX-A1 to exit 29 and the La Bazagona road, which ends at the EX-208 1.5 km from the village.
- **Casa Rural El Cabrerín**, desde 70 € / night: El Cabrerín is a renovated country house in Villarreal de San Carlos, the only village inside Monfragüe National Park. It has four double rooms and a dining room with a full kitchen, and it is rented in two ways: by the room, like a small guesthouse with breakfast, or whole for eight people. It belongs to Monfragüe Rural, the same family that runs the Casa Rural Monfragüe and the village restaurant.
El Chozo, La Morrala, La Cayá and La Majá
The four doubles have names of their own: El Chozo, La Morrala, La Cayá and La Majá. All have a private bathroom, television, air conditioning and heating, and are cleaned daily. The house's gallery shows the façade, the dining room and La Majá; if you want a particular room, ask for it when you book.
A whole house for two families
What sets El Cabrerín apart from the same owner's bigger house is the kitchen: the dining room has a full kitchen, so a group renting the whole house can cook its own dinners without depending on restaurant hours. The whole house costs €280 a night for eight people, with breakfast and VAT included. By the room, a double costs €70 and single occupancy €50. Monfragüe Rural's general rate puts extra beds at €28 for under-10s and €32 from that age; ask whether they fit in these rooms. From three nights there is a 10% discount, except on public holidays and long weekends.
Breakfast, at the family's restaurant
Breakfast is included and is served at the Restaurante Monfragüe, a few metres away, at flexible times. The same restaurant has an à la carte menu and a menu of the day for lunch, and a sales point for local products.
Binoculars, bikes and guides from the house
In the lounge there is a nature and ornithology library, with books in several languages, and the National Park information folder, with routes and what can be seen in each season. The house hires out binoculars and electric bicycles, organises routes with local nature and ornithology guides and, for photographers, tailor-made outings with a guide who handles any permits needed. If you come with a group for a course or a talk, they lend a projector free of charge.
What you have at the door
Opposite Monfragüe Rural's accommodation are the park's information office and interpretation centres, and all the park's walking routes start from Villarreal: the red trail to the castle, the green trail to Cerro Gimio and the yellow one to La Tajadilla all start on foot from the house. By car, Salto del Gitano is about 5 km away on the EX-208.
By the La Bazagona road or the EX-208
From Madrid, take the A-5 and the EX-A1 to exit 29, then the La Bazagona road and, on reaching the EX-208, turn left: Villarreal is 1.5 km away. From Cáceres or Salamanca, take the A-66 and the EX-A1 to exit 46, then the EX-208. From Trujillo or Plasencia, directly along the EX-208.
- **Monfragüe Campsite and Bungalows**, desde 18 € / pitch: Inside Monfragüe National Park you cannot camp or spend the night in a motorhome, so anyone who comes with a tent, caravan or van sleeps outside. Camping Monfragüe is on the EX-208 road from Plasencia to Trujillo, in the municipality of Malpartida de Plasencia, 9 km from Plasencia, 6 km from Malpartida and about ten minutes by car from the park. It was opened in 1998 by the Barrado family, from Malpartida, and is still a family business.
One hundred and fifty pitches among holm oaks
The campsite occupies a holm oak dehesa. It has 150 pitches of at least 90 m², all with an electricity point, and wide lanes designed for large caravans and long combinations. Those under the trees have holm oak shade; those in the more open areas have wooden and heather pergolas high enough for a motorhome. The washrooms are recently built, with free hot water 24 hours a day, individual enclosed basins and facilities for disabled people and for babies. There are washing-up sinks and a laundry.
Bungalows in two models
For those who do not bring their own roof there are bungalows of about 35 m² for four, in apartment format: one bedroom, a full bathroom with a bath and a living room-kitchen with a sofa bed for the other two places. Model 1 has two separate beds and its own porch; model 2, a double bed, and comes in rows of three that share a continuous porch of wood and tile. All have bed linen, kitchenware, television, microwave, fridge and air conditioning. The website advertises them at €50 to €90 a night depending on season, with the 2025 table still published: call to confirm the price for your dates.
2026 camping rates
The pitch, with the set-up and electricity, costs €18; people are extra: €4.80 per adult from age 11 and €4.20 from 3 to 10. The table also gives individual prices (car €4.20, caravan or tent €4.80, motorhome €8.80, electricity €5.50, motorbike €3). With the ACSI card, €21 for two people with set-up and electricity. For long stays, €500 a month for two adults with a vehicle and electricity, and €750 in August and Holy Week. If you only want to sleep one night in a motorhome, the overnight area, asphalted and next to the washrooms, costs €15 from 21:00 to 9:00, with no pitch or electricity but use of the facilities.
Pools, court and social lounge
There are two outdoor pools, an adults' one of 25 by 12 metres and a children's one of 12 by 6, with natural grass, shade from holm oaks and willows, changing rooms, a first-aid kit and a kiosk for drinks and ice cream; campers get in free. A multi-sport court serves for tennis, basketball or five-a-side football. The social lounge, air-conditioned and with a fireplace, has board games, wifi and a bar, and there is a games room for children, a playground, barbecues and fountains, a book-swap library and bicycle hire. The supermarket receives bread every morning.
For the park, a car
From here the park is done by car: Salto del Gitano and Villarreal de San Carlos are along the same EX-208 to the south. The campsite restaurant serves breakfasts and lunches every day except Wednesday, with wood-fired roasts, and one of the guided 4x4 outings may meet at Malpartida de Plasencia, 6 km away.
Reception morning and evening
Reception opens from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. You book on the website, on 927 459 233 or by WhatsApp on 605 940 878. The website does not say whether dogs are admitted or publish check-in and check-out times: ask when you book.